Disc processing and treating system

ABSTRACT

A disc, such as a floppy disc, a compact disc, or either of the compact disc or the hard disc is divided into a number of areas formed by tracks and sectors. Some of the areas are unformatted and unused. An actuating or driving program is used to actuate a recording head to process and record the areas of the disc, particularly the unformatted or unused areas of the disc. The actuating program typically is introduced directly into a memory of the hard disc or of the computer, or if may be stored in an independent working station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus, and moreparticularly to an apparatus and related method for using or processingor treating or reading or writing a disc, such as a floppy disc, acompact disc, a hard disc, etc.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Typical discs, such as floppy discs, compact discs, hard discs,etc., are required to be formatted before they may be used and read andwritten. The floppy discs and the compact discs each includes a singledisc member. As best shown in FIG. 1, the typical hard discs eachnormally includes one or more compact discs 70 stacked or superposedwith each other with a hub or the like, and received in a housing 80(FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the computer or the hard disc includesone or more magnetic or recording head 73 supported with flexures 71 andcoupled to an electromagnetic driver 72 with the flexures 71, forprocessing or treating or reading or writing the discs 70, such as thefloppy discs, the compact discs of the hard disc. The disc or thecomputer for processing the compact disc or floppy disc may include abuilt-in program to process or to format or to treat or to read or towrite the discs.

[0005] As shown in FIG. 4, the typical discs 70 will be treated by thebuilt-in program of the computer or of the hard disc and formatted intoa number of formatted tracks 74 and a number of unformatted tracks 77that are alternatively formed on the disc 70. For example, as countedfrom the outer peripheral portion to the radially inner portion of thedisc 70, the 1^(th), the 3^(rd), the 5^(th), the 7^(th) . . . etc.tracks of the disc 70 will be formatted and may then be read and writtenwith any computer information or programs, such as the WINDOWS, WORD,ETC. The 2^(nd), the 4^(th), the ⁶ ^(th) . . . etc., tracks 77 of thediscs, for example, will be the unformatted tracks. The disc 70 willalso be formatted into a number of sectors; i.e., the formatted tracks74 will further be formatted into a number of sectors so as to form anumber of formatted areas 76. However, some of the areas in theformatted tracks 74 may not be formatted and are thus be called as theunformatted areas. Both the unformatted areas 78 and the unformattedtracks 77 may all be called as the unused areas and may not be processedor treated or read or written by the recording head 73; i.e., thepresent existed built-in programs of the computer or of the hard discmay not instruct or actuate the recording head 73 to process or to treator to read or to write the disc 70.

[0006] Accordingly, after being formatted, the floppy discs, the compactdiscs, or the compact discs of the hard disc may each include a numberof unused areas that may not be used or processed or treated or read orwritten by the built-in program of the computer to the hard disc. Aboutor more than one-half of each of the discs will be wasted and may not beused.

[0007] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional disc reading andwriting processes and systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide asystem for formatting or processing or treating or reading or writingthe unused areas of the discs, such as the floppy discs, the compactdiscs, or the compact discs of the hard disc.

[0009] The other objective of the present invention is to provide asystem having a program provided for formatting or processing ortreating or reading or writing the unused areas of the discs.

[0010] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provideda system comprising at least one disc divided into a plurality of areas,a recording head for processing and recording the disc, and means foractuating the recording head to process everyone of the areas of thedisc, particularly the unformatted or unused areas of the disc.

[0011] The disc includes a plurality of tracks and a plurality ofsectors formed therein to form the areas therein, the areas of the discinclude a plurality of formatted and usable areas and include aplurality of unformatted and unused areas.

[0012] The actuating means is provided for actuating the recording headto process the formatted and usable areas of the disc, and/or to processthe unformatted and unused areas of the disc.

[0013] The actuating means includes a memory coupled to the recordinghead, and an actuating program provided in the memory to actuate therecording head to process the areas of the disc.

[0014] The actuating means includes a working station having a firstmemory coupled to the recording head, and an actuating program providedin the first memory to actuate the recording head to process the areasof the disc.

[0015] A second memory is further provided and coupled between theworking station and the recording head. The first memory is preferablyan erasable programmable read only memory.

[0016] The working station further includes a processing unit coupledbetween the recording head and the first memory, and further includes asecond memory coupled to the processing unit.

[0017] Further objectives and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from a careful reading of a detailed descriptionprovided hereinbelow , with appropriate reference to accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inner structure of atypical prior art hard disc;

[0019]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the reading and writingprocess for the typical prior art compact disc or hard disc;

[0020]FIG. 3 is a plan schematic view illustrating the reading andwriting method for the typical prior art compact disc or hard disc;

[0021]FIG. 4 is a plan schematic view illustrating the typical prior artcompact disc or hard disc after being formatted or illustrating theformatted areas of the typical prior art compact disc or hard disc;

[0022]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for practicinga method in accordance with the present invention to use or to processor to treat or to read or to write the disc; and

[0023]FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the apparatus and relatedmethod to use or to process or to treat or to read or to write theunused areas of the disc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0024] Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 5, a typicalhard disc 10 or a typical disc driver of a computer may include arecording head 11 for processing or treating or reading or writing thedisc 13, and may include a memory 12 for storing the program to actuatethe recording head 11 to process or to treat or to read or to write thedisc 13. The recording head 11 may include the typical recording headsupported by a flexure and coupled, with the flexure, to anelectromagnetic driver.

[0025] An apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprisesproviding an independent card, or a circuit board or a working platformor a working station 30 having a processor unit (CPU) 31 or the likeprovided therein, and having one more memories 32 for storing purposesand one or more erasable programmable read only memories (EPROM) 33provided therein and coupled to the CPU 31. The working station 30, suchthe CPU 31 of the working station 30 is coupled directly to therecording head 11 or indirectly to the recording head 11 via the memory12. The working station 30 of the present invention provides a drivingor an actuating program in the EPROM 33 to actuate the recording head 11to process or to treat or to read or to write or to format or to use theunused areas 77, 78 (FIG. 4) of the disc 13.

[0026] It is to be noted that the driving or the actuating program ofthe present invention may also be directly introduced into the memory 12of the hard disc 10 or of the disc driver 10 of the computer in order toactuate the recording head 11 to process or to treat or to read or towrite or to format or to use the unused areas 77, 78 (FIG. 4) of thedisc 13. The working station 30 may also be the other independent floppydiscs, the other independent compact discs, the other independent harddiscs, etc.

[0027] Referring next to FIG. 6, illustrated is an example of a blockdiagram of the present invention to process or to treat or to read or towrite orto format or to use the unused areas 77, 78 (FIG. 4) of the disc13. For example, when the computer or the hard disc 10 is actuated orstarted 40, the basic input/output system (BIOS) of the computer or ofthe hard disc 10 will first be actuated or initiated 41. The system willthen be interrupted or actuated or controlled by the driving or theactuating program in the EPROM 33 and will be treated by the actuatingprogram of the present invention as shown in the block 42. The actuatingprogram in the EPROM 33 and will then be actuated or started as shown inthe block 43, and will move (44) the recording head 11 to theunformatted or unused areas of the disc 13, and to format (45) theunused areas 77, 78, (FIG. 4) of the disc 13, and then to process or totreat or to read or to write or to record (46) the unformatted or unusedareas 77, 78 of the disc 13. After the unformatted or unused areas ofthe disc 13 is used or processed, the EPROM will be ended at 47 and willthen moved out of the block 42 and will then be entered into the typicalprocessing system 48, such as the disc operating system (DOS), theprograms, the files, and any other operation systems of the computer orof the hard disc.

[0028] It is to be noted that about or more than one-half of each of thetypical discs will be wasted and may not be used. The areas in thetypical discs may thus be treated by the present invention to have aboutdouble of the areas to be usable. The information or records of the disc13 will be stored in the other formatted or used areas of the disc 13that is less then one-half of the typical discs 13. Accordingly, forexample, all or some of the information stored in the formatted or usedareas of the disc13 may be copied into the unused areas 77, 78 of thedisc 13 that are newly formatted. When the information stored in thepreviously formatted or used areas of the disc 13 is damagedinadvertently, for some reasons, the information copied or stored in theunused and newly formatted areas 77, 78 of the disc13 may then be usedand treated or processed, or may be copied into the previously formattedor used areas of the disc 13 to replace the damaged information. Theunused and newly formatted areas 77, 78 of the disc 13 may also be usedto store or to record the other information or the programs or the like.

[0029] The typical discs, such as the floppy discs, the compact discs,the compact of the hard disc may each be previously formatted into anumber of areas, including a number of tracks and sectors. The actuatingprogram of the working station of the present invention may be used toformat and to process and to use all of the unformatted areas of thetypical discs. The actuating program of the working station of thepresent invention may also be used, directly, to format and to processand to use all of the areas of the discs that have never been formattedor used.

[0030] Accordingly, the apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention may be used for formatting or processing or treating orreading or writing the unused areas of the discs, such as the floppydiscs, the compact discs, or the compact discs of the hard disc.

[0031] Although this invention has been described with a certain degreeof particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for processing a disc having a plurality ofusable areas and a plurality of unused areas, said apparatus comprising:a recording head for processing and recording the disc, and means foractuating said recording head to process the unused areas of the disc.2. An apparatus for processing a disc having a plurality of usable areasand a plurality of unused areas, said apparatus comprising: a recordinghead for processing and recording the disc, means for actuating saidrecording head to process the usable areas of the disc, and means foractuating said recording head to process the unused areas of the disc.3. An apparatus comprising: at least one disc divided into a pluralityof areas, a recording head for processing and recording said at leastone disc, and means for actuating said recording head to process everyone of said areas of said at least one disc.
 4. The apparatus as claimedin claim 3, wherein said at least one disc includes a plurality oftracks and a plurality of sectors formed therein to form said areastherein, said areas of said at least one disc include a plurality offormatted and usable areas and include a plurality of unformatted andunused areas.
 5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein saidactuating means is provided for actuating said recording head to processsaid formatted and usable areas of said at least one disc.
 6. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said actuating means isprovided for actuating said recording head to process said unformattedand unused areas of said at least one disc.
 7. The apparatus as claimedin claim 3, wherein said actuating means includes a memory coupled tosaid recording head, and an actuating program provided in said memory toactuate said recording head to process said areas of said at least onedisc.
 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said actuatingmeans includes a working station having a first memory coupled to saidrecording head, and an actuating program provided in said memory toactuate said recording head to process said areas of said at least onedisc.
 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a secondmemory coupled between said working station and said recording head. 10.The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first memory is anerasable programmable read only memory.
 11. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 8, wherein said working station further includes a process unitcoupled between said recording head and said first memory.
 12. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said working station furtherincludes a second memory coupled to said processing unit.